Construction truck rolls down steep Old Town street, hits house

A construction truck parked on a steep Old Town road in late September rolled down the street, hitting two or three vehicles and a house before it stopped, the Park City Police Department said.

The accident occurred at a little before 4 p.m. on Sept. 24 on Prospect Avenue, a notoriously steep street in the upper reaches of Old Town close to Marsac Avenue. The Park City Police Department said in an online statement the construction truck caved in a wall when it hit the house.

The police said the Park City Building Department was summoned and kept people out of the home. A vehicle was towed after the owner could not be found, the police said, adding that the vehicle "was in a precarious position" after the accident.

The online statement indicated the Utah Highway Patrol was called to the scene to inspect the construction truck that rolled, but a citation was not issued. The police said nobody was injured in the accident.

Michelle Downard, a Building Department official who investigated, said the front wall of the house was pushed in as a result of the accident. The foundation of the house was not damaged, she said. There is not a danger of the front wall collapsing, according to Downard.

Downard said the authorities stopped people from entering the house while the construction truck was removed. They were allowed in afterward.

The construction truck was not driven by someone working at the house that was hit, she said. Details about the owner of the construction truck were not immediately available.

Spencer Gallagher, a contractor hired to make the repairs to the house, said the structure suffered "mostly cosmetic damage." He declined to provide an estimate of the cost. He anticipated it would take a few days to finish the work. Gallagher was at City Hall on Monday inquiring about municipal processes.

He said decorative stones must be removed before the wall is repaired. The stones will be replaced afterward.

"It’s a steep hill over there. I think they see runaway cars over there quite often, from what I hear," Gallagher said.

Prospect Avenue is a narrow residential street that stretches between Hillside Avenue and Marsac Avenue. It is not heavily traveled by people who do not live on Prospect Avenue.

A printed police log indicated the construction truck hit two vehicles while the online statement said it struck three vehicles. The printed log said a Ford Explorer and a pickup truck were hit. There was no one inside when it rolled, the police said. The printed log said the house it hit dates to 1884.

A three-person crew was at the house Monday afternoon using hammers to remove the damaged stones.